A Stereotype is simply a fixed idea, or image that many people have of a particular type of person or group but which is often not true in reality. Igbo is one of the ethnic groups in Nigeria and they occupy the south eastern part of Nigeria.

Igbos are highly influential in the country, significantly leading in the entertainment industry especially in Nollywood and other various sectors in the country. Over the years, Igbos are often held in bad light in the country and little of their positive attributes are ever magnified.
However, it is undeniable that Igbos are hardworking people and are risk takers which makes them astute entrepreneurs. They are peaceful people and they have a die-hard approach to life. This write up aims at debunking some of the negative myths about the Igbo people. Below are 7 stereotypes about Igbos:

1. Igbos Prefer Business to Education


There has been a misconception about Igbo people and business. Most people believe that Igbos don’t value education. They believe that Igbos pursue wealth and that they see business as a faster way of making money than education. That is not true; education is one of the priorities of Igbo people. You’ll seldom find an uneducated person in any Igbo family lately; even poor families would prefer to go without food as long as their children acquire quality education. This misconception perhaps originated from the fact that Igbos are influential to the economy of some states like Lagos state as long as entrepreneurship is concerned.

2. All Igbo Girls Are Lovers of Money


The concept of Igbo girls and money is another unproved myth in the country. Other non Igbo groups in Nigeria perceive Igbo girls as materialistic women who don’t react to love but to money. That is very untrue because Igbo girls actually value love and relationships more than money. Bad people are everywhere and that you had a hellish experience with an Igbo girl doesn’t mean all Igbo girls are the same. Nowadays, girls no longer focus on money in relationships, perhaps the equation of “marry a wealthy man and all your problems will be over” seems not to be effective any longer.

3. Igbos Are Excessive Migrants
Many people believe that more than half of Nigerians in the Diaspora are Igbos but that is not actually true. Though many Igbos allegedly dispersed to overseas after the Civil War but Igbos actually prefer to stay In-broad than to stay A-broad.

4. All Igbos Embrace Blood Sacrifice For Money

 
There has been a stereotype that Igbos can compromise anything to make money. Blood money, voodoo and diabolic acts may be a common trend in Nollywood films but in actuality, it’s not trending in Igbo land. Though blood sacrifice for money exists in Igbo land but the percentage of Igbos that indulge in it is only a fraction of the whole population of Igbos. In fact, Igbo people are very religious people and they shun anything that is unethical.

5. Igbos Are Into Advanced Fraud


Advanced fraud, also known as yahoo-yahoo or 419 has been a global concern and many western countries believe that Nigerians are fraudsters. Hence, people believe that the Igbos are the perpetrators of these internet scams but it’s yet to be proven. The truth remains that these Nigerian 419ers are not Igbos but Nigerians and empirically, only a handful of Igbos embrace and indulge in yahoo-yahoo.

6. Igbos Don’t Value the Code of Honour

It has been wrongly perceived that Igbos are disrespectful and that they do not honour authority. This stereotype was built up by other groups, perhaps because of their prostrate gesture of honour. Thus, honour is not outrightly evidenced by such gestures but by absolute obedience. Igbos are not always known for lying on the floor when they meet someone in authority and that doesn’t depict dishonor. Igbos value honour and they give it freely.

7. Igbos Are Not Peaceful People


No one actually knows where this misconception came from since conflict has been not just a national issue but a global issue. Igbo people are very friendly and welcoming. They see everyone as their brother and sister and they continuously invest their effort to see that peace reigns in the society.

Source:http://www.figureout.com.ng/7-stereotypes-igbos-arent-always-true/

You Are Defending Your People Of Their Stereotype.

I've witness the wholeworld analyse my Igbo brothers and sisters, and they found one problem prohibiting them from greatness. That is pride. Igbos are extremely wonderful people, but pride is their greatest and major enemy.

Igbo parents ask for heaven and earth just to marry their daughters.they recently gave a friend of mine a list that contains so many things and all the school fees they paid for his. Ibo girlfriend from primary school up to the post graduate level.The guy has been really depressed since he saw that list.

I already gave him an advice that the best way to marry an Igbo girl is to just pump some sper.m into her and impregnate her wether with or without her concent.My friend is working towards that now.

Worefa

k but one thing I am sure of

Ejecting them from home in Lagos is like trying to push a caterpillar up a hill.

source: my eyes, my dad house, neighbours tenants who re Igbo's.

but I still like dem because we are all Nigerian.

one Nigeria
one nation

Igbo kwenu

I be omo Igbo..almost all ur points are true!

delta igbo


what a combination
.

i love me

gatiano:
I've witness the wholeworld analyse my Igbo brothers and sisters, and they found one problem prohibiting them from greatness. That is pride. Igbos are extremely wonderful people, but pride is their greatest and major enemy.

Throw more light on this pride please!
I'm listening

: lol

Odikwa you too much @ op

Ibo gals like make up and artificial hair

Good

Igbos are the most hardworking group in nigeria

Nice points. Foreigners inductively categorise all Nigerians as scammers while Nigerians take turns in shifting the blame to our Igbo brothers. Nigeria stands as one, but, it's rather pathetic that some Igbos on nairaland (and even their Yoruba brothers) are tribalistic.

chymystique come and defend us. Lol.

Lol. My in-laws. They are confident to the point of overconfidence. Very boisterous.

I dont like stereotypes,but I ve noticed these two traits in all my Igbo friends. My igbo friends will see a roaring lion, instead of running away, they ll start discussing the value of the meat of a live lion oo!

My guy go meet me for restaurant, not knowing whether I get anything for pocket. He ll order food, finish it, dust his butt and go 'nna, give them money, we go dey see later' and won't even care to know the condition of my pocket.

Great people though. They see a business opportunity in every situation. I love their entrepreneural spirit.

Y

ambassadorgozie:
I be omo Igbo ..almost all ur points are true!

Nwafor Igbo.

@Topic: The funniest of the all is the lame stereotype that Igbo people abandoned education for wholesale/retail business.
Anyone privy to the true education statistics for the country would laugh at the stupidity of that fable.

Every tribe has good and bad aspect that you can easily notice from majority of people from that side....but what i value most about my people is that they can survive any where any time.....if they could maintain the highest standard of living in the country just 40years after a civil.....just 40yrs after a reconciliation that gave them only 20pounds in exchange 4whatever amount they had with Nigerian banks....that means they are actually the best tribe in terms of survival and adaption.
Proudly Igbo.....i could not have hailed from any other tribe.....thank God 4my tribe.

Many of them are tribalistic. Wonder why...

So annoying and unnecessary.

Its true

Tell em

What is Yahoo Yahoo doing on your silly list?

Dont mind,who cares what they think about us,we dont.

proudlY IGBO,Proudly 4rm OWERRi

*Statistic shows that Igbos constitutes almost 75% of Nigerians in foreign countries....(business)
*Igbos are the most hardworking Tribe in Nigeria...
*According to Wikipedia.com, South-east states has the lowest numbers of poverty rates in Nigeria....
*In terms of Education, Anambra leads in best performing Waec & Jamb candidates, including Lagos, Delta and other south-east states in Top10.

---

I can say Igbos are the largest ethnic group in Nigeria.(unpolitically)....

I strongly agree that it is very hard to see an Idle Igbo man.
Igbos, I greet una oh....
Igbo kwenu!!!

Yoruba's lead in entertainment tho..

Stl lovin ma deltan igbo chick.igbos are greatt